The Build
by Extraneous
Summary: Gabriella Montez is looking for a new home. Troy Bolton is an architect who is looking for the next big thing. Can they help each other and find love along the way.Rated M for possible future chapters. Trailer inside. R
1. Chapter 1

_This is just a random idea I had so I thought I'd publish it and see what reaction it got _

_All rights to Disney, I own nothing_

Gabriella Montez was a successful couple's counsellor in LA. She spent her days listening to others people's problems. She was content with her life and everything in it. At 5'2" she stood short, but don't let that fool you. Inside, she was filled with potential energy waiting to explode.

Living in an average size apartment she grew tired of hearing and feeling every one of her neighbour's movements as they indulged in their more 'active' hobbies.

Gabriella Montez wanted out.

She was going to build her own house.

Troy Bolton was one of the most sought after architects in the business. Yet he only took on one project at a time, so he could give it his undivided attention. Everyday hundreds of applications were set in front of him each from potential new clients. Most of which he considered un-original and not worth of his expertise time. He wanted to build for a client who dreamed like he did, someone who would let him do whatever he wanted to. He was sick of plain old cubes with a regular chimney stack, garden fence and conventional layout.

He wanted a chance.

Gabriella Montez was o give him that chance.

_This is basically a trailer, and future chapters will be longer. Please review and give feedback _

_Ella_


	2. 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing all rights to Disney_

_Chapter 1: _

Gabriella's POV:

The constant thump on Gabriella's bedroom wall was driving her insane. It was 3am on a Thursday morning and she was laid in bed with her head stuck firmly between her pillow and mattress, attempting to block out the noise. This was the third time this week her neighbours had kept her awake due to their "activities". It was also the third time this week she had been forced to eventually leave her bed and retreat to the couch. She felt she was fighting a losing battle.

By the time it was time for her to get up she had only gotten just over 5 hours of sleep. Her back ached from the uncomfortable couch and she was not in the mood to be messed with. After fixing herself a quick breakfast and getting dressed she headed downtown.

Stepping into the crisp office of Troy Bolton, Gabriella could feel butterflies doing back flips in her stomach. She had been waiting for this day for months. The call had arrived four days previous and Gabriella had had to contain her squeeing while she attempted to sound professional as she spoke to Troy's receptionist.

"Montez? Mr Bolton is ready for you now"

Entering the spacious office, Gabriella had expected an elderly gentleman, but was greeted with an Adonis. He ran his fingers through his perfectly tousled chestnut brown hair in an exhausted manner. His bulky shoulders slumped as her sat with his head in his hands. His electric blue eyes glanced up at her.

"Welcome Ms Montez!" he greeted her excitedly snapping out of his previous manner "Take a seat, please!"

Troy reached into his drawer and produced a large cylinder out of which he pulled some blueprints. Swiftly spreading them out on his desk he began explaining the intricate details which he believed would make her house incredible. An open living space with its curved wall of folding glass doors would lead out into a beautifully sculpted garden complete with an infinity pool. He spoke with such enthusiasm Gabriella couldn't help but be mesmerised. "God, this man is incredible" she thought to herself. Each time he mentioned a new aspect to the building she adored it even more.

Suddenly Troy's phone rang and his facial expressions became so pained looking Gabriella couldn't stop the laughter that escaped her.

Fifteen minutes later Gabriella left Troy's office feeling elated, the house was better than anything she could have imagined. She had also found Troy to be a person she wouldn't mind being friends with, never mind more than that. She pulled her phone from her bag and punched in a familiar number "Shar? Meet me for coffee in 5? Great, see you then"

As she arrived at the coffee house, she spotted her best friend, an over-excitable blonde sat in their usual spot. "He's gorgeous!" Gabriella excitedly spilled to Sharpay as they giggled over cappuccinos "I swear he was checking me out as I was leaving"

Sharpay could always tell when something was up with Gabriella, and this time was no exception. Her friend had that glint in her eye that scared Sharpay, it meant she was up to something.

Troy's POV:

The alarm sounded indicating it was time to face another day, he loved his job, it was his chance to escape the horror that was his home life. He had been going out with Lucy for five months now and she was really starting to get on his nerves. He felt he was going to drop dead with the rate of calls and texts he received daily.

Dragging himself from his warm bed he showered, got ready for work and headed to the office. Today started out just like any other day, he filed some papers, drew up floor plans and sorted through applicants.

"There is an Ms Montez here to see you" rang the voice of his secretary.

"Send her in" he replied.

His office door opened and in entered a petite woman with luscious black locks and an excited yet anxious look on her face. It was then he realised he probably looked like a depressed moron the way he was sat. He greeted her and then began to go through the plans of her house with her.

He hadn't been this excited about a project in years, she had practically given him free reign on the design. She required only one condition, that it be fun yet practical.

As they discussed the project he became fonder and fonder of this woman he had just met, her bubbly personality spilling out with everything she said. At several points he had to try suppress laughing at how excitable she was.

_Buzz Buzz_

Silently cursing his girlfriend, he extracted his phone from the depths of his pocket and pressed the ignore caller button. "Fifth time today, I swear..." he muttered under his breath only to look up to find Gabriella silently laughing at him.

"Sorry about that, she won't stop calling me" he told her suddenly finding himself laughing with her.

_Beep_

Looking at his phone he wasn't surprised to find a text from Lucy that read "Call me back now!"

At this point Gabriella was in stitches laughing at his reaction to the text.

He should have been offended at her obvious amusement to his pain but he couldn't be.

"I better be going" suggested Gabriella "The design is exactly what I wanted!"

With that she got up and left his office, Troy could swear she caught him staring at her butt as she went.

Bracing himself, Troy pressed _return call_ and waited for the dreaded Lucy to answer...

_AN: I'm quite pleased with how this chapter turned out, but I'm not too sure whether it flows well, thanks to everyone who reviewed, they make my day! R&R. I'm not too sure when the next chapter will be up as I'm swamped with school at the moment _

_Ella xx _


	3. 2

_Disclaimer: All rights to Disney I own nothing_

She needed the perfect dress. Something sexy yet sophisticated, showstopping yet simple.

"Tell me again, why are we here?" inquired a worn out Sharpay.

"I told you, my ex is going to be there" retorted Gabriella as she picked up another dress "Perfect" she smiled to herself as she headed towards the fitting rooms to try it on with Sharpay trailing behind.

She had been dreading this moment since she received the invitation several weeks previous, a birthday party for Paul, an acquaintance of hers. He was a friend of Mark, her ex. He had left her a pretty little blonde from the office and tonight she wanted revenge. This is what led to her spending much more time than normal getting ready that evening and she had the perfect dress.

It fit perfectly in all the right places, hugging her petite frame and accentuating her curves, the little black dress really was a life saver. Paired with some sky high heels, tumbling locks and just the right amount of makeup and she was ready to go.

The club was full when she arrived, the sound of the base pounded through her ears as she fought her way through grinding bodies to reach the bar. Receiving her drink she turned to the dance floor and scanned through the crowd looking for any familiar faces. There were several people she vaguely knew from previous parties but no one she would consider a friend. She felt a tap on her shoulder and swung around in her seat to face whoever it was.

"Great" she breathed to herself, as she was confronted with her cheating ex Mark.

"What's wrong babe? You not happy to see me?" he laughed as he began to run his hand slowly up her thigh as he stared at her cleavage. Gabriella was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and she could smell the strong odour of alcohol on his breath as he began to lean in to her. Gabriella attempted to push him away but he was much larger than she was and she didn't have the strength.

Suddenly she felt a hand lightly grab her around the waist and a hand push Mark away.

"Hands off my girlfriend" ordered the voice softly but forcefully. Gabriella wasn't sure what was happening but she decided to play along with it.

"Nice one Gabi, you hooked another loser" said Mark harshly before he stalked back into the crowd.

Gabriella turned around to thank her mystery saviour, but when she saw who it was her jaw dropped and her cheeks flushed red. The man chuckled and waved his hand in front of her face in a mocking manner.

"Earth to Gabriella" he laughed "You okay?"

"Thanks Mr Bolton" she replied

"You can call me Troy" he suggested to her as he called out to the barman to bring them drinks

"Okay then, Troy" she said emphasising his name "What brings you here?"

"Paul and I are old college friends and I was invited so... here I am" he stated before taking a swig of his beer.

"I see..." replied Gabriella before leaning back in her chair and letting her eyes sweeps over his form. He was clad in loose dark wash jeans, a white v neck t-shirt that clung to his rippling abs and a black blazer. His hair was lightly tousled and he had an effortlessly sexy air about him. His lips just looked so inviting that Gabriella began to lean in. Suddenly she leapt out of her chair, grabbed her purse "I.... um... I... I gotta go!" she said in a fluster and with that she fled the building thinking about what she had almost done.

Four days later, it was 8:30am and Gabriella was scheduled to be at Troy's office in ten minutes but was running late. Her alarm clock hadn't gone off, so she had had next to no time to get ready. She had hit rush hour traffic and was now crawling along at a snails pace eight miles from Troy's office. There was no way she would make it. She pulled out her cell phone and punched in the number for his office. No answer.

After twenty-five more minutes stuck in traffic she was finally in the elevator on her way up to his office for their second meeting. They were to discuss dates and the contractor that had been employed.

"I am so so sorry I'm late" she apologized over and over again as she entered his office, "traffic was horrendous and I overslept and..." she cut off when she noticed a tall blonde woman looking curiously at her.

"I'm Lucy" spoke the woman as she introduced herself "and you are?"

Gabriella felt imtimidated by Lucy and stuttered a reply "Gabriella Montez, a client of Mr Bolton's. I have a meeting now... I think?"

" "Mr Bolton" should be here shortly, he's also running a bit late" she stated sharply "perhaps you could wait in the waiting room". Lucy smiled a sickly sweet smile.

"Nice to meet you Lucy" said Gabriella trying to muster up some enthusiasm for this new woman whom she had little desire to keep speaking with. Gabriella retreated into the waiting room where she found a seat and thought of how awkward her meeting with Troy was likely to be.

As she looked up she saw Troy walk hurriedly past her into his office from where she could hear an argument starting to esculate until finally a pissed off looking Lucy stormed out, cursing at everyone in her path.

"Gabriella Montez? Mr Bolton is ready for you now" chimed the receptionist. Gabriella stood up, straightened out her skirt and headed in.

As she entered she could see Troy stood in the corner of his office staring out the window wistfully. She sat down as he came to be seated in his own chair and the meeting began.

_A/N I struggled with trying to figure out how I wanted to play out this chapter, I've really been trying to make the chapters longer and this would've been, but I wanted to publish something tonight as it has been a month. I really appreciate all the reviews, story alerts and everything. I have no idea when the next chapter will be up as my life is getting more hectic by the week and will remain that way until I finish my exams in approx 6 weeks time. R&R. Ella xx_


	4. 3

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights to Disney_

The sun glared brightly as Gabriella pulled up to site. Today was the day the building would officially begin. Stepping out of her car she pulled on her sunglasses and noticed Troy standing talking to a man, the two of them discussing blueprints. Grabbing her hardhat and slipping it on her head she made her way over to them recalling her last meeting with Troy...

_"Gabriella Montez? Mr Bolton is ready for you now" chimed the receptionist. Gabriella stood up, straightened out her skirt and headed in._

_As she entered she could see Troy stood in the corner of his office staring out the window wistfully. She sat down as he came to be seated in his own chair and the meeting began._

"_I can leave if this is a bad time..." Gabriella started before she was cut off by Troy_

"_No, stay..." he protested "I need to talk to you!... I mean... umm... wanna go for coffee?" he finished while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck "you don't have to if you don't want to" he began to ramble before he was interrupted._

"_I would love to" she smiled shyly, her heart beating at a million miles an hour as he grabbed his briefcase and led them out of the room._

That "coffee date" she fondly remembered, had resulted in 3 hours of mindless chatting after he had initially shown her the plans and timeplan for the build. They had asked each other all the questions they could think of, but never let the conversation turn too serious. She had avoided the topic of Lucy as she felt "she just about knew this guy and what would it look like if she began delving into his personal life?". Although, she was more than curious after seeing him with her twice and neither of those time had they been overly friendly.

So here she was five days later, making her way over to him trying not to look like an idiot and fall flat on her face. Why had she thought heels were a good choice of shoe for a building site? Looking up she noticed Troy was headed towards her, his perfectly coiffed hair bouncing slightly as he walked and a perfect smile painted on his face.

"Gabriella" he greeted her, then gestured to the man standing next to him (whom Gabriella hadn't noticed until now) "this is John, the main contractor for your build.

"Great to finally meet you" she smiled at him before offering her hand, which John shook. Gabriella hadn't felt it was nessasary to meet him beforehand as she completely trusted Troy's judgement when it came to these things, afterall she knew next to nothing about building a house.

"_So... how long will the house take until I can move in?" she questioned Troy as the sat in the corner of a little coffee shop, two blocks form his office. She lifted her cup to her lips ad took a sip._

"_About seven or eight months" he replied, then as an afterthought added "if everything stays on schedule"._

"_Eight more months of pure torture!" she exclaimed, making him chuckle at how she over-reacted . "It's not funny" she lightly reprimanded him with a pout, "you're not the one living next door to the horniest couple you've ever met"._

"_I feel your pain" he joked back, trying to keep his face serious._

"Gabriella?" Troy waved his hand in front of her face trying to snap her out of her daydream "you there?".

"Yeah, I'm here, I was just... thinking"

"Are you excited?" he asked.

"More than you can even imagine!" she replied gleefully watching as the diggers turned on and began to carve out the foundations on which her future home would rest. She turned her head slightly so as to see Troy, his cobalt blue eyes alive as he concentrated, his perfectly shaped she had very nearly kissed, looking ever so delicious.

_Their perfect, seeminly everlsting conversation was interrupted by a busboy informing them that the coffee shop was closing and they needed to leave. _

"_This was nice" Gabriella smiled at Troy as she stood up and gathered her things. She stepped out of the coffee shop onto the dimly lit street, Troy following behind her. They walked back to Troy's office block to collect their cars, when it came time to part neither knew what to say and both knew they were avoiding the giant elephant in the room. They were irresitably attracted to each other and as Troy's eyes darted down to her lips Gabriella felt her heart begin to pick up speed until it pounded so hard she was surprised he didn't comment on it. He began to lean in as Gabriella debated between what was right and what she wanted to do "he has a girlfriend" she thought to herself "he looks like he wants it as much as I do" the other side of her mind fought back. She could feel his breath tickling her lips, his cologne wafting through her nostrils as his hard body pressed up against hers._

"_I...I...I can't!" she choked out, putting both hands on his chest and pushing him away "I'm sorry, but you have a girlfriend and as much as I want to...I just can't"._

"_No, I'm sorry" he replied sincerely "it was unprofessional of me". Troy stuck out his hand for her to shake, Gabriella reached out to take it and shook it firmly before turning to get into her car and driving out of the car park. She couldn't believe she had just done that, rejected something she wanted so much, she was disappointed yet proud at the same time. _

Standing there beside Troy, she tried to imagine what would have happened if she allowed that kiss.

"This build certainly will be interesting" she thought to herself.

_Sorry this took so long and that it's a bit short, but I've been suffering writer's block, but in only three weeks I'll have finished my exams (15 of them) and will be on summer break! So, I will be better able to update. Lastly, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and story alerted, they all make me smile so much! R&R_

_Ella xx_


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